System and method for personalized delivery verification

Abstract

The methods and systems disclosed enable objective verification of the delivery of goods based on comparative data sets; one associated with a given address location and the other associated with retrieved positional coordinates using a global positioning system (GPS) while at the location of delivery, with the retrieved coordinates tagged to a digital photograph of the intended recipient. Comparative data sets are also obtained from a digitized photograph showing an intended recipient's face, the photograph provided by the customer requesting the delivery, and from a photograph taken at the location of delivery to the recipient. Facial recognition technology is utilized to determine if there is a match between the two images. Satisfaction and assurance of delivery is further achieved by delivery to the customer of the photograph taken at the location of delivery showing the recipient with the goods.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A delivery verification system, comprising:
 a first database for storing identification information of a customer, wherein the identification information includes a customer e-mail address;   a second database for storing a specified location for a delivery of a product ordered by a customer, the product to be delivered by a deliverer to a designated recipient;   a mobile device in the possession of a deliverer of the product, the mobile device comprising a memory storage module, a GPS module for determining position coordinates of the mobile device at a given moment in time, and a camera for creating digital images, wherein upon the creation of a digital image a first software application, stored in the memory of the mobile device, tags digital location data to the digital image, the digital location data containing information regarding position coordinates of the mobile device at the time the digital image was created; and   a server in communication with the first database, the second database, and the mobile device, the server comprising a second software application for comparing position coordinates read from the digital location data with position coordinates associated with other locations;   wherein the deliverer creates a digital image of the designated recipient with the product at the time of delivery and sends said digital image to the server for comparing position coordinates tagged to the digital image with position coordinates of the specified location stored in the second database to confirm that the position coordinates tagged to the digital image are within a defined proximity of the position coordinates of the specified location and sending the digital image of the designated recipient with the product to the customer through a network using the customer e-mail address stored in the first database.   
     
     
         2 . The delivery verification system of  claim 1  wherein a customer mobile phone number is stored in the first database and the digital image is texted to the customer. 
     
     
         3 . The delivery verification system of  claim 1  wherein the digital image is created by the deliverer's mobile device and then sent to the customer with the deliverer's mobile device. 
     
     
         4 . The delivery verification system of  claim 1  further comprising a watermarking software module residing on the server for watermarking the digital image after the second software application has confirmed delivery of the product to the location, the watermarking comprising an advertisement of the maker or seller of the goods. 
     
     
         5 . The delivery verification system of  claim 1  wherein the positioning coordinates are longitude and latitude. 
     
     
         6 . The delivery verification system of  claim 1  wherein the mobile device is selected from a group comprising a laptop computer, a smart phone, a dedicated delivery tracking device, and a computer tablet device. 
     
     
         7 . A method for providing a customer of delivery services assurance that goods ordered by the customer for delivery to a recipient were received by the recipient at a specified location, comprising:
 receiving an order from a customer for the delivery of goods to a specified street address;   storing in a database the specified street address and a customer's e-mail address;   delivering the goods to the recipient at the street address;   taking a digital photograph of the recipient with the goods using a camera embodied on a mobile device configured to tag pictures with positional coordinates received from a GPS module of the mobile device;   sending the digital photograph tagged with positional coordinates to a server at a remote location;   retrieving at the server the specified street address from the database;   determining positional coordinates of the specified street address using a software application for converting street addresses to positional coordinates;   comparing the positional coordinates of the specified street address with the positional coordinates tagged to the picture, the picture showing the recipient with the goods, to determine if the specified street address and the positional coordinates tagged to the picture are within a pre-defined distance;   sending the digital photograph to the customer's e-mail address to show the customer that the recipient received the goods and, if the specified street address and the positional coordinates tagged to the picture are within the pre-defined distance, sending a confirmation that the delivery of goods was made to the specified street address.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising applying a watermark to the digital photograph if the specified street address and the positional coordinates tagged to the picture are within the pre-defined distance. 
     
     
         9 . A method for providing a customer of delivery services assurance that goods ordered by the customer for delivery to a recipient were received by an intended recipient, comprising:
 receiving a deliver request for the delivery of goods to a recipient designated for receiving the goods;   receiving from the customer or the recipient a picture of the recipient to establish a stored recipient picture, the stored recipient picture including a facial image of the recipient;   storing in a database the stored recipient picture;   at a time of delivery of goods to the recipient, taking an second photograph of the recipient using a camera embodied on a mobile device,   executing facial recognition algorithms on the stored recipient photograph and the second photograph of the recipient to determine of the stored recipient photograph matches the second photograph of the recipient;   responsive to determining a match, completing the delivery of the goods, wherein the match indicates a confirmation that the goods were delivered to the intended recipient.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving an email address from a person establishing the delivery request; and
 sending the second photograph of the recipient to the e-mail address after the confirmation is achieved.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving an email address from a person establishing the delivery request; and
 sending a confirmation photograph showing the intended recipient and the goods.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the confirmation photograph is also provided to the intended recipient. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising watermarking the second photograph of the recipient with a watermark. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising not completing deliver of the goods if the facial recognition algorithms do not reveal a match. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising performing facial detection routine to identify a face of the recipient. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising sending the second photograph of the recipient to a remote server and comparing, using facial recognition algorithms, the stored recipient photograph and the second photograph of the recipient at the server.